


dry season

by gagreflex



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, End of the World, Established Relationship, Implied Death, M/M, Some Fluff, chillin with your homie on your last day in target, exo is a band, jungwoo taeyong and jaehyun are mentioned, target (tm), the sun is gettin a lil too hot and a lil too close
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26504869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gagreflex/pseuds/gagreflex
Summary: The sky is both beautiful and disgusting, Donghyuck has trouble looking away. They both know what is to come, and the chances of their hearts beating after is next to none.“Want to go to Target?”
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	dry season

**Author's Note:**

> i was listening to 'as the world caves in' by matt maltese and this sprung to life,,, haha

The sound of the television dies out as Donghyuck closes the sliding door, but it isn’t like anything important is being talked about. It’s been a few days since the news, although anyone can tell just by looking up at the sky what is to come. The fire from the sun scorches between the clouds, turning the sky into a flaming orange. Even from down here, on his small balcony in the middle of dream town, Donghyuck can feel the heat from the sun. It’s enough to make him tug at his collar, hoping the sweat dripping from his neck evaporates before it can stain his shirt. 

“I haven’t seen anyone,” Renjun sighs as he leans against the railing, fingers drooping towards the ground, almost like they’re melting. Donghyuck pulls at his shirt again, surprised that both of them aren’t pooling to the ground right now. There certainly have been hotter days, but maybe the stress of it all makes everything worse.

“They all might be inside. Maybe their AC still works.” Donghyuck sits beside Renjun’s feet, his thighs burning against the metallic bars. A car alarm is ringing in the distance, echoing off of the mostly empty buildings and cracked windows. Those who still had hope left days ago, the dreamers and disbelievers thinking the coast is going to save them now. 

Donghyuck glances over his shoulder, feeling Renjun’s arm brush against him as he sits down. Piles of garbage fill his balcony, and he was meaning to take them to the dump a few weeks ago. Everything seems pointless now, so the atrocious stench doesn’t bother him. Some crows might tear open the bag later.

“You know how Taeyong told me to go through his apartment?” Donghyuck digs through his pockets, and Renjun finally looks away from the burning street, his hand holding onto the railing tightly. “I found his work keys.” Donghyuck jingles them, the clanking a much more pleasing sound than the low blaring. They’re still cold to the touch.

“I don’t think we’d really need them anymore,” Renjun mumbles, his nose scrunched up. Donghyuck looks up at the sky again, and it doesn’t look any different. He barely remembers what a blue sky is, or if clouds were ever actually real. These few shorts days have felt like decades. Donghyuck finds it nice in some sense, the end seeming farther away than it actually is, but he’ll never get any real decades.

Even with the blazing orange sky and the mind-numbing realization of what awaits the world, it still looks beautiful.

“Want to go to Target?” There isn’t anything left to do in this short amount of time, and, granted, their Target might be wiped clean already. Donghyuck moves himself backward, surprised all of his skin is still on his thighs.

“Not the most amazing place to end up.” Renjun runs his hands over his legs as Donghyuck pushes open the door, the television still on. It’s playing the same message, the message that has been drilled into all of them. There’s nothing else to watch or listen to except that reporter’s shaking voice. “I guess it could be fun.”

Donghyuck searches his closet, wanting to at least be wearing an outfit that he loves. Renjun sits on the edge of their bed, fingers opening and closing his wallet. “We won’t need any money.”

“Maybe Target is still making their employees work,” Renjun hums, and Donghyuck supposes that is a fair point. Corporate greed will still exist when they’re all crispy skeletons. He’s glad he won’t find himself dying in a work uniform.

“Is this good?” Donghyuck turns on his heel, holding up his favorite attire. 

“It’s all black.”

“So? We’re going to be inside.” Donghyuck tosses the clothes onto the bed, and Renjun falls onto his back, staring up at the swirls painted on their ceiling. He changes inside of their bedroom, trying to get Renjun to look at him.

As they leave their apartment, they make sure everything is unplugged, all of the lights are off, and the faucets aren’t dripping water. The reporter’s voice is finally gone as Donghyuck yanks the cord out of its socket. 

“Do you have everything? We aren’t coming back,” Renjun asks when they’re standing by the doorway, almost like they’re just going on a roadtrip to someplace far away. Donghyuck’s eyes roam over the place. All of the designs that Renjun painted on their walls, all of the furniture they bought, all of the music they sang together, all of the time they spent together, will be rendered to nothing. 

“Yep.” They bother with locking the door before descending the stairs that are littered in garbage: paperwork, documents, empty soda cans, and partially eaten meals. When they get to the lobby Jungwoo isn’t around, lingering in the corner and trying to beat the last level of Candy Crush. Donghyuck hopes that he did manage to finish the game. He would’ve been the first.

The garage takes a while to open, Renjun almost breaking the button. Donghyuck turns on the ignition, and Renjun immediately starts flipping through the radio channels. Most only give loud, headache-inducing static, and the rest is a looped recording of someone talking about the sun and the flames. Renjun ends up turning the radio off entirely and connecting his phone.

There isn’t much gas left in his car, and Donghyuck doubts any of the nearby gas stations will have any left. With noisy EDM music blasting from the speakers, Donghyuck pulls out of the garage and speeds across the cracked streets. A few cars are crashed into one another or the streetlights. Some have flat tires or ran out of gas. 

The Target parking lot is barren, not a single person or car. Garbage covers the ground, but that is to be expected. Birds are hopping across the pavement, pecking at the garbage, their feathers ruffled. For once Donghyuck is able to park close to the store. 

Graffiti is spray painted across the walls, most depicting an image of the sun and talking about the end. There is one that is close to the front doors asking people to check out their SoundCloud, and Donghyuck points it out to Renjun, watching as he looks up their username. They only have one track that is nothing but screaming. 

Not wanting to waste anymore time in the stuffy car, the two leave, making sure they have everything they brought with them, which isn’t much. All Renjun ended up grabbing was his wallet and phone, although both of them know nobody will be contacting them. Donghyuck remains hopeful that there’ll still be stuff inside for them to look at. 

Despite having the key to the employee’s only door, the front doors still slide open upon sensing them, although they stop halfway. It is dark inside, and they use Renjun’s phone as a flashlight to find their way to the backroom, Donghyuck trying to recall what Taeyong told him. He wishes he could call him right now.

“There.” Renjun’s hand smacks around a panel in the dark, and all of the lights inside of the store jump to life. Some shelves are pushed to the ground, and a few aisles are lacking in variety, but there’s still enough inside of the store to last them the rest of the day. 

Renjun steps outside of the room and wraps an arm around Donghyuck’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “What do you wanna do first?”

_ > even when my lungs are bleeding _

It’s cold inside of the Target, and Donghyuck wraps his arms around himself, trying to get more warmth from his hoodie. He could take one step outside and get warmed up enough, but he doesn’t want to take his eyes away from Renjun. 

The shopping cart is speeding away from him, Renjun trying to push it as fast as possible. Once it is too difficult for him to make it speed up anymore, Renjun jumps onto the cart, his body curling over the handles. The tires start to swerve, and Renjun tilts his body to the side. Donghyuck winces as the cart takes a sharp turn and crashes into the clothes, bringing down an entire rack. Donghyuck hurries away from the cash registers, finding Renjun lying on the ground, his leg caught in the shopping cart.

“Dumbass,” he comments as he kneels down, trying to help Renjun loosen his leg. 

“I went farther than you, didn’t I?” Renjun props himself up on his shoulders. Finally his leg is freed, but he doesn’t move, waiting. 

“It doesn’t count since you crashed.” Before getting up, Donghyuck gives Renjun a chaste kiss. He looks like he wants to argue about the decision, but he ends up not saying anything. “I told you that cart was bad.” They leave the clothes section, not bothering to clean anything up.

“Whatever.” Renjun grabs Donghyuck’s wrist and drags him into the cosmetics section. “Oh, remember what I said a while ago?” Renjun nearly sprints down the aisle, searching for something specific. There isn’t anything that catches Donghyuck’s eyes immediately.

Before he can answer, Renjun turns around, holding a box of orange hair dye. It reminds him of all of the times that Renjun tried to get him to color his hair, and all of the times where they just never pulled through, before it reminds him of the sun. He takes the box and tries to picture the color in his hair. All he ends up imagining is Renjun’s fingers carding through his hair, leaving his scalp tingly and his chest full.

“Only if I get to dye yours as well.”

Donghyuck admires the beige strands beneath his fingers, and when Renjun asks if he looks good, Donghyuck doesn’t know if he is capable of speaking. It gets trapped in his throat, and all he can muster is a low yes. As all of his words and thoughts sink into his gut, he feels Renjun’s hand rest at his hip, his fingers curling into his clothes. It reminds Donghyuck that there is no point in thinking like this. Time is still with them.

They wander through the store, scribbling in notebooks, reading cards, creating strange outfits, and searching through the board games on their way. It’s almost easy to imagine strangers walking by, eyeing them oddly as they laugh at one another’s stupid jokes that aren’t even that hilarious. Every so often Donghyuck spots Renjun checking his phone, seeing how long until today is over. The lights are so bright and timeless that Donghyuck forgot that they have been here for hours. 

The two of them end up at the electronics section, the TVs turned on, showing nothing but a dull blue screen. It’s better than the news stations. 

“When was the last time we listened to EXO?” Renjun picks up one of their albums, and Donghyuck doesn’t remember. It was the spark to everything, when Donghyuck entered that lecture room, already dejected and ready to pack up everything and head home, only to see another student sitting in the back, an EXO sticker on his laptop. 

“A month ago? I think one of their songs came on shuffle when we were helping Taeyong pack stuff for his trip.” Renjun pulls off the clear wrapping and flips through the pages, Donghyuck pressing into his side and digging his chin into Renjun’s shoulder. Renjun tries to knock Donghyuck’s chin off, but he stops after a few attempts. 

“Huh, that long ago?” He closes the album and puts it back, not even bothering to find the photocard. “Did he ever get to Jaehyun’s place?” Renjun walks down the aisle, looking at the other albums, but he pauses once he realizes what he asked. Donghyuck doubts he was able to drive that far east. Besides, he never got a response. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Donghyuck leaves the aisle, and Renjun bounds after him. The playable 3DS still works, and Renjun cheers Donghyuck on as he flies the given Mii through floating rings. 

“Think we could hook stuff up to those TVs?” Renjun asks as Donghyuck concentrates on turning sharply, almost to the end. Before he can pass through it, Renjun grabs his arm tightly and drags him to the side, behind the shelves of games. Donghyuck doesn’t need to be told to stay quiet, his breath getting caught in his throat. Slowly, he peers around the corner, seeing three people walking towards them, dressed in tank tops and shorts, their skin lathered in sunscreen, but the tips of their noses are sunburned and starting to peel. Donghyuck focuses more on the fact that they’re holding guns.

With the immense heat and the world spiraling closer to damnation, people lose themselves and one another. They get closer, so Donghyuck and Renjun head farther into the aisle, not wanting to attract any attention. One wrong move, one heavy breath, one second of hesitation could set everything off. 

The two sit on the floor, Donghyuck glancing around the corner, watching as the group of three walk by them, ignoring all of the games, presumably trying to find food or water. The chances of them being friendly are next to none. 

Donghyuck holds his hand against his chest, and he realizes the thudding in his ears is his heart pounding. When all of this became set in stone, people began to flood the streets and leave. Donghyuck won’t forget getting caught in that crowd, nor will he forget when Renjun offered water to somebody who was slouched beside one of the melting streetlights. 

Renjun’s hand is cold against his face, and he knows that the strangers aren’t near them anymore. Still, they don’t move, in fear of them making too much noise or running across their path again. Donghyuck eyes the TVs, although they are still displaying the same color. 

He holds Renjun’s hand and loses track of time, watching one of the LED lights above the Xbox games flicker.

It’s late in the evening when they leave their spot, walking through the entire Target, but they don’t see anyone. Instead of turning back around and heading deeper inside, they go outside, the air humid and sticky. Donghyuck pulls off his hoodie as he follows Renjun to his car.

They sit on the hood of the vehicle, Donghyuck sitting between Renjun’s legs, humming in delight as his husband massages the back of his head. It’s the last sunset, but it isn’t like they can see it. The vibrant orange sky is slowly fading into a deep crimson. The streetlights and the outside lights surrounding the Target would be turning on by now, but everything only gets darker. It’s almost hard to breathe outside.

“At least we don’t have to worry about our student debt,” Renjun chuckles, although it isn’t filled with giddiness or joy. Donghyuck’s eyes flutter closed, not caring if they stay out here the rest of the day, or if they go back inside to feel some cold air. As long as he is lying beside Renjun.

“You have a point there,” Donghyuck hums as he runs his hand up and down Renjun’s leg, his fingers dragging Renjun’s shorts higher up on his thigh occasionally. “How many people do you think are on the coast?”

“Too many,” Renjun snorts. There has never been a day with more traffic than that day, even if all of the scientists were saying there is nothing that can be done. Not even drowning in the deepest parts of the ocean will preserve them. “Why? Did you want to go to the coast?”

The hood of the car is warming up, and it burns through Donghyuck’s clothes. “No. It’d only be to see the ocean again, but I doubt it really exists anymore.” When Donghyuck opens his eyes, the sky is bleeding. “Being here with you is enough.”

“Pfft, shut up.” Renjun leans forward, pressing a soft kiss into the crown of his head. “But… it is enough for me as well.”

_ > i still hold my breath for you _

Donghyuck gathers up a few blankets and pillows while Renjun searches through the snack section. They meet together before the TVs, and Donghyuck is left to try and connect a DVD player to one of them as Renjun heads off to turn off the lights. 

Donghyuck inserts the CD and lies back on the pile of blankets and pillows, trying to get comfortable, but he might as well wait until Renjun returns. The menu music is loud, and Donghyuck has to scramble to the TV, needing to turn the volume down by pressing the buttons on the side. By the time he gets it to the perfect volume, Renjun returns, his phone’s flashlight turned off. He tosses it to the side, and the shattering bounces off of the walls. Donghyuck starts the movie before making his way to their makeshift bed.

The opening scene begins, showing them to some place in the middle of the countryside. Renjun opens a bag of already cooked popcorn and sets it between them, but Donghyuck isn’t that hungry. Tiredness already tugs at his eyes as he curls into Renjun’s side, entangling their legs together. The movie isn’t something that interests him much, but Renjun always talked on and on about it and all of the hidden meanings. Donghyuck twists his head, seeing the faint glimmer in Renjun’s eyes as he focuses on the movie, his hand absentmindedly running up and down Donghyuck’s arm.

The movie shows a woman sitting on a bench, her umbrella shielding her from the heavy rainfall. Renjun’s hand stops moving, and the sound of rainfall only gets louder as the woman struggles to keep herself composed.

“I wish I could stand in the rain again, just like on our wedding night,” Renjun whispers. If Donghyuck could make it rain again, he would. 

The TVs illuminate their faces as they lie beside one another, the distant rumbling from the sky nothing more than a small nuisance. The weeping of those who still believed from the coast can be heard, but soon the ground will be scarred and the groaning of the sun will block out any slight breath. 

Donghyuck curls his legs into Renjun’s legs and pulls him closer beneath the blankets, as if he could protect him from anything. The blue highlights his face, and Donghyuck struggles to breathe. Tentatively, Renjun reaches out and cups the side of Donghyuck’s face, allowing his thumb to rub over his skin softly, almost like it’ll break if he applies too much pressure. 

Donghyuck doesn’t want to fall asleep just yet, but his body is exhausted and his eyes are aching. Renjun sniffles, and it’s been so long since either of them have cried. They promised one another not to, but who knows what is awaiting them next. Will they see one another again or is this the true end?

“Sorry.” Renjun doesn’t move his hand to wipe away his tears, and Donghyuck holds it. This time they’re warm and clammy, but Donghyuck doesn’t let go. “How long do you think we can stay awake?”

“I don’t know,” Donghyuck croaks, not wanting to be conscious when they burn. “I guess we’re really fulfilling ‘til death do us part, huh?” Renjun still laughs as he kicks Donghyuck beneath the blankets, and they’re both smiling. “I love you.” The tears are drying.

“I love you too.” Renjun brings himself even closer, until Donghyuck can feel Renjun’s heartbeat against his chest. The TVs begin flickering. “Sweet dreams.”

Donghyuck doubts they’ll ever wake up, and he wishes he could see at least one more sunset with Renjun, or at least dance through one more rainfall, take one more roadtrip, celebrate one more anniversary. With their circumstances though, this is more than enough.

“Good night love.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed reading :>


End file.
